The Lankavatara Sutra, Volume Two
非無性無生，亦非顧諸緣，
it is neither non-nature nor non-arising, nor is it looking toward the conditions,
非有性而名，名亦非無義。
it is not named because of having a nature, yet the name is not without meaning.
一切諸外道，聲聞及緣覺，
All the heretics, the shravakas and the pratyekabuddhas,
七住非境界，是名無生相。
the seventh stage is not their realm; this is called the mark of non-arising.
遠離諸因緣，亦離一切事，
Far from all causes and conditions, and also apart from all affairs,
惟有微心住，想所想俱離，
there remains only a subtle mind abiding, with thought and the thought-of both left behind,
其身隨轉變，我說是無生。
his body turns accordingly, and I call this non-arising.
無外性無性，亦無心攝受，
Without external nature, without nature, and without a mind that grasps,
斷除一切見，我說是無生。
cutting off all views, I call this non-arising.
如是無自性，空等應分別，
Such is no self-nature; emptiness and the like should be discriminated,
非空故說空，無生故說空。
it is not that it is empty and therefore called empty, but because of non-arising it is called empty.
因緣數和合，則有生有滅，
When causes and conditions combine in number, there is arising and extinction,
離諸因緣數，無別有生滅。
apart from the numbers of causes and conditions, there is no separate arising or extinction.
捨離因緣數，更無有異性，
Setting aside the numbers of causes and conditions, there is no other nature,
若言一異者，是外道妄想。
to speak of sameness or difference is the discrimination of heretics.
有無性不生，非有亦非無，
Nature of being and non-being does not arise, neither being nor non-being,
除其數轉變，是悉不可得。
apart from the changes of those numbers, none of these can be found.
但有諸俗數，展轉為鉤鎖，
There are only the various worldly numbers, turning into hooks and chains one after another,
離彼因緣鎖，生義不可得。
apart from the chain of those conditions, the meaning of arising cannot be found.
生無性不起，離諸外道過，
Arising without self-nature does not arise, free of the faults of the heretics,
但說緣鉤鎖，凡愚不能了。
I speak only of the hooks and chains of conditions, which ordinary fools cannot understand.
若離緣鉤鎖，別有生性者，
If apart from the hooks and chains of conditions, there is another self-nature of arising,
是則無因論，破壞鉤鎖義。
that is the theory of no cause, destroying the meaning of the hooks and chains.
如燈顯眾像，鉤鎖現若然，
Like a lamp revealing many images, if the arising of hooks and chains is like this,
是則離鉤鎖，別更有諸性。
then apart from the hooks and chains, there would be other natures besides.
無性無有生，如虛空自性，
Without self-nature there is no arising, like the self-nature of space,
若離於鉤鎖，慧無所分別。
if apart from the hooks and chains, wisdom has nothing to discriminate.
復有餘無生，賢聖所得法，
There is yet another non-arising, a dharma attained by the noble ones,
彼生無生者(彼生是四相生)，
that arising is itself non-arising (that arising is the arising among the four marks of arising, abiding, changing and ceasing),
是則無生忍。若使諸世間，
and this is the patience of non-arising. If, for all the worlds,
觀察鉤鎖者，一切離鉤鎖，
those who observe the hooks and chains, all become apart from the hooks and chains,
從是得三昧。痴愛諸業等，
from here they attain samadhi. Delusion, craving, all kinds of karma and so on,
是則內鉤鎖，攢燧泥團輪，
these are the inner hooks and chains; the drill and fire-stick, lump of clay, wheel,
種子等名外。若使有他性，
seeds and the like are called outer. If there were an other-nature,
而從因緣生，彼非鉤鎖義，
yet arising from conditions, that would not be the meaning of hooks and chains,
是則不成就。若生無自性，
and this could not be accomplished. If arising has no self-nature,
彼為誰鉤鎖？展轉相生故，
then for what would that be a chain? Because they arise from one another in turn,
當知因緣義。使生有他性，
one should know the meaning of causes and conditions. Suppose arising had an other-nature,
而從因緣生，彼非鉤鎖義，
yet arose from conditions, that would not be the meaning of hooks and chains,
是則不成就。堅濕煖動法，
and this could not be accomplished. Dharmas such as solidity, moisture, warmth and motion,
凡愚生妄想，離數無異法，
ordinary fools give rise to discrimination, and apart from the numbers there is no other dharma,
是則說無性。如醫療眾病，
and this is what is called non-nature. Like a physician treating many illnesses,
無有若干論，以病差別故，
there is no number of different theories, but because illnesses differ,
為設種種治。我為彼眾生，
various treatments are set up. For those beings,
破壞諸煩惱，知其根優劣，
I break up all the afflictions, knowing the superiority and inferiority of their capacities,
為彼說度門。非煩惱根異，
and teach them the gates of deliverance. It is not that the roots of affliction are different,
而有種種法，唯說一乘法，
and thus there are various dharmas; I speak only of the one-vehicle Dharma,
是則為大乘。」
and this is the Mahayana."
爾時，大慧菩薩摩訶薩復白佛言：「世尊！一切外道，皆起無常妄想。世尊亦說一切行無常，是生滅法。此義云何？為邪為正？為有幾種無常？」
At that time the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Mahamati again said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! All the heretics give rise to the discrimination of impermanence. The World-Honored One also says that all conditioned things are impermanent and are dharmas of arising and ceasing. How should this meaning be explained? Is it wrong or right? How many kinds of impermanence are there?"
佛告大慧：「一切外道有七種無常，非我法也。何等為七？彼有說言，作已而捨，是名無常。有說形處壞，是名無常。有說即色是無常。有說色轉變中間，是名無常。無間自之散壞，如乳酪等轉變，中間不可見，無常毀壞，一切性轉。有說性無常。有說性無性無常。有說一切法不生無常，入一切法。大慧！性無性無常者，謂四大及所造自相壞。四大自性不可得，不生。彼不生無常者，非常無常。一切法有無不生，分析乃至微塵不可見，是不生義非生，是名不生無常相。若不覺此者，墮一切外道生無常義。大慧！性無常者，是自心妄想，非常無常性。所以者何？謂無常自性不壞。大慧！此是一切性無性無常事。除無常，無有能令一切法性無性者。如杖瓦石，破壞諸物。現見各各不異，是性無常事，非作所作有差別。此是無常，此是事。作所作無異者，一切性常，無因性。大慧！一切性無性有因，非凡愚所知，非因不相似事生。若生者，一切性悉皆無常。是不相似事。作所作無有別異。而悉見有異。若性無常者，墮作因性相。若墮者一切性不究竟。一切性作因相墮者，自無常應無常。無常無常故，一切性不無常，應是常。若無常入一切性者，應墮三世。彼過去色與壞俱，未來不生，色不生故，現在色與壞相俱。色者，四大積集差別。四大及造色自性不壞，離異不異故。一切外道一切四大不壞，一切三有四大及造色，在所知有生滅。離四大造色，一切外道於何所思惟無常？四大不生，自性相不壞故。離始造無常者，非四大。復有異四大，各各異相。自相故，非差別可得，彼無差別。斯等不更造，二方便不作，當知是無常。彼形處壞無常者，謂四大及造色不壞，至竟不壞。大慧！竟者，分析乃至微塵觀察壞。四大及造色形處異見長短不可得，非四大。四大不壞，形處壞現。墮在數論。色即無常者，謂色即是無常。
The Buddha told Mahamati: "The heretics have seven kinds of impermanence, which are not my Dharma. Which seven? Some of them say: after a thing is done, it is discarded, and this is called impermanence. Some say that when form and place are destroyed, this is called impermanence. Some say that form itself is impermanence. Some say that the interval in which form transforms is called impermanence: it breaks up of itself without interval, like milk transforming into curd, where the middle is not seen, impermanence destroys, and all natures turn. Some say that nature is impermanence. Some say that nature and non-nature are impermanence. Some say that the non-arising of all dharmas is impermanence, entering all dharmas. Mahamati! The impermanence of nature and non-nature: this means that the four great elements and their derived forms break down in their own marks. The self-nature of the four elements cannot be found, and does not arise. That non-arising impermanence is neither permanent nor impermanent. All dharmas, being and non-being, do not arise; analyzed down to the atom, nothing can be seen; this is the meaning of non-arising, not arising, and is called the mark of non-arising impermanence. If one does not awaken to this, one falls into the meaning of arising impermanence of all the heretics. Mahamati! The impermanence of nature is discrimination of one's own mind; it is neither permanent nor the nature of impermanence. Why? Because the self-nature of what is called impermanence is not destroyed. Mahamati! This is the matter of the impermanence of all natures being without nature. Apart from impermanence, there is nothing that can turn the nature of all dharmas into non-nature. It is like a staff, a tile or a stone breaking things. Seeing each as not different, this is the matter of the impermanence of nature, and it is not that making and the made differ. This is impermanence, this is the matter. If making and the made were not different, all natures would be permanent, with no causal nature. Mahamati! The non-nature of all natures has a cause, and is not known by ordinary fools, and it is not that a cause produces a dissimilar thing. If it produced, all natures would be impermanent. This is a dissimilar thing. Making and the made have no difference, yet all are seen to differ. If nature is impermanent, one falls into the nature and marks of a maker-cause. If one falls into this, all natures are not ultimate. If the maker-cause mark of all natures falls into this, then one's own impermanence should also be impermanent. Because impermanence is again impermanent, all natures are not impermanent, and should be permanent. If impermanence enters all natures, it should fall into the three times. That past form is destroyed together with its destruction, the future does not arise, because form does not arise, and present form is together with the mark of destruction. What is called form: it is the differentiated accumulation of the four great elements. The self-nature of the four elements and the derived forms is not destroyed, because they are apart from difference and non-difference. All the heretics say that all the four elements are not destroyed, but the four elements and derived forms of all three realms of existence have arising and extinction within what is known. Apart from the four elements and derived forms, where would all the heretics think of impermanence? The four elements do not arise, because their own marks are not destroyed. The impermanence apart from the original making is not the four elements. There is also what differs from the four elements, each with its different marks. Because of self-marks, difference is not to be found, and they have no difference. These are not made again; neither of the two expedients is practiced; one should know that this is impermanence. That impermanence of the destruction of form and place means that the four elements and derived forms are not destroyed, and in the end are not destroyed. Mahamati! What is called 'in the end': analyzing down to the atom and observing destruction. In the form and place of the four elements and derived forms, differing views of long and short cannot be found, and they are not the four elements. The four elements are not destroyed, but the destruction of form and place appears. This falls into the Samkhya. Form itself is impermanence: it means that form is impermanence.
彼則形處無常，非四大。若四大無常者，非俗數言說。世俗言說非性者，則墮世論。見一切性，但有言說，不見自相生。轉變無常者。謂色異性現，非四大。如金，作莊嚴具，轉變現，非金性壞，但莊嚴具處所壞。如是餘性轉變等，亦如是。如是等種種外道無常見妄想。火燒四大時，自相不燒。各各自相相壞者，四大造色應斷。大慧！我法起非常非無常。所以者何？謂外性不決定故。惟說三有微心，不說種種相有生有滅。四大合會差別，四大及造色，故妄想二種事攝所攝。知二種妄想，離外性無性二種見，覺自心現量。妄想者，思想作行生，非不作行。離心性無性妄想，世間出世間上上一切法，非常非無常。不覺自心現量，墮二邊惡見相續。一切外道不覺自妄想，此凡夫無有根本，謂世間、出世間上上法，從說妄想生，非凡愚所覺。」
That is the impermanence of form and place, and it is not the four elements. If the four elements were impermanent, it would not be the speech of worldly numbers. If worldly speech is not nature, one falls into worldly discourse. Seeing that all natures are only speech, one does not see the arising of self-marks. Transformation as impermanence: this means that the appearance of the different nature of form is not the four elements. Like gold made into ornaments, the transformation appears, but it is not that the nature of gold is destroyed; it is only the shape of the ornaments that is destroyed. The transformation of other natures is also like this. Such are the various heretical views of impermanence, which are discrimination. When fire burns the four elements, their own marks are not burned. If each of the own marks were destroyed, the four elements and derived forms would be cut off. Mahamati! My Dharma gives rise to what is neither permanent nor impermanent. Why? Because external nature is not determinate. I speak only of the subtle mind of the three realms of existence, not of the various marks having arising and ceasing. In the differentiation of the combination of the four elements, the four elements and derived forms, there are therefore two kinds of discrimination: the grasping and the grasped. Knowing the two kinds of discrimination, one is apart from the two views of external nature and non-nature, and is aware of the self-mind's present manifestation. What is called discrimination: it arises from thought and action, and not apart from action. Apart from the mind's discrimination of nature and non-nature, all dharmas, worldly and supramundane, higher and higher, are neither permanent nor impermanent. Not being aware of the self-mind's present manifestation, one falls into the evil views of the two extremes, which continue in succession. All the heretics are not aware of their own discrimination; these ordinary people have no root, and what are called worldly and supramundane dharmas, higher and higher, arise from the discrimination of speech and are not what ordinary fools are aware of."
爾時，世尊欲重宣此義而說偈言：
At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:
「遠離於始造，及與形處異，
"Apart from the original making, and what differs from form and place,
性與色無常，外道愚妄想。
nature and form as impermanence is the foolish discrimination of the heretics.
諸性無有壞，大大自性住，
No natures are destroyed, the self-nature of the four elements abides,
外道無常想，沒在種種見。
the heretics' thought of impermanence is sunk in all kinds of views.
彼諸外道等，無若生若滅，
Those heretics and the like have neither arising nor ceasing,
大大性自常，何謂無常想？
the nature of the four elements is itself permanent; how can they speak of the thought of impermanence?
一切唯心量，二種心流轉，
Everything is only the measure of mind, with two kinds of mind flowing and turning,
攝受及所攝，無有我我所。
the grasping and the grasped, with no self and no what belongs to self.